A Pirate Finds a Home
by happynfluffy
Summary: Killian and Emma's date is botched and then Killian is missing. Emma finds him less than well. Notes: I could not have done this without the love and encouragement of Giennie. Thank you so much for your inspiration and being my beta! I don't own anything to do with OUAT, just borrowing the characters for my own enjoyment for a few minutes.


Their first official date had been going so well right up to the time that Will had come in and completely ruined it. It seemed to Emma's annoyance that every time she and Killian had a chance to enjoy and explore their relationship, something -or someone- would come along to break up the moment. She reluctantly agreed to help Will with his problem, giving Killian an apology and a quick peck on the cheek as she left.

For Killian though, he was furious with the turn of events. He had just been getting Emma to relax and open up to him when that bloody knave had stormed in all in a huff and ruined everything. He had wanted – no – needed to talk to Emma. She was the calming influence he could use right now to deal with all the overwhelming emotions swirling through him after the return of his hand. He had not asked for it back and yet it was returned to him all the same. He fished his rum flask out on his way back to the docks and took a long pull from it – the burn of rum down his throat being the only thing to dull the ache in his chest.

The past two days had been a blur to Emma since her botched date with Killian and she was once again exhausted. They had finally found Elsa, with the aid of Will. They had been able to calm her down and were in the process of trying to figure out how to reverse the rather nippy chill she had accidently placed on the town. Everything had been so chaotic and busy that she had barely had time to sleep. Such is the life of being the Savior, you never catch a break.

She had just sat down to a nice cup of hot chocolate at Granny's when her mother sat down across from her.

"Hey" Mary Margaret gave her a small smile.

Emma smiled back, "Hey, how's Neal?"

"Oh, he is great, I just came by to grab us some lunch. He and David are napping." She made a point of looking around for someone. " Are you here alone? Where's Hook?" she asked.

"Killian" Emma automatically corrected. At her mother's raised eyebrow she continued, "He's uh…he's..." The more she thought the more she remembered that she had not seen him in the past few days. "I don't really know. It's weird but I have not seen him since our date."

"Oh, did it go badly?" Mary Margaret asked her with a look of condolence.

Emma sighed, "No, it was great until Will interrupted us and insisted that I help him. It is a good thing he did because that led to Elsa. Killian, though, was not really happy with it all." she sighed heavily, feeling a twinge of guilt.

"I guess I should go find him and apologize for skipping out like that. See you later?"

"Sure honey, good luck!" Mary Margaret gave a little wave as Emma left.

She almost ran into Will as she was leaving. "Will, have you seen Killian?"

"Not since he bloody well punched me the other night." Will grumbled. "He was right sore I'd interrupted you."

"I'm sorry about that Will. I'll talk to him about that when I see him." Emma turned to go and threw over her shoulder a "Thanks anyway" and heard another grumble in reply.

Emma went around back into Granny's Bed and Breakfast as she figured that would be as good a place as any to start looking for Killian. She got upstairs and suddenly realized that she had no idea if he had actually ever been staying here or not because she had never seen him in a room here. She slowly walked back downstairs anticipating a response she didn't want to hear and caught Granny at the front desk.

"Granny, what room is Killian staying in?" she asked.

Granny snorted and looked at Emma over her glasses, "That pirate is not staying in my establishment. Don't you remember the no criminals rule?" Granny walked away shaking her head and mumbling about pirates with hooks ruining her beds. There it was the answer she had hoped not to have heard.

Emma started to panic inside a little at the thought that she had no clue where to look for Killian. He had given up his ship for her and so she knew he did not have anywhere else to go. Where had he been sleeping all this time? She would never admit it to anyone but she was starting to feel a little selfish. She had only ever thought of herself this whole time back in Storybrooke and it had never once occurred to her that others may not have the luxury of a warm place to sleep.

Emma ran outside and down the street to Gold's shop. She knew that he owned everything so if there was some other place Killian was renting, he would know about it.

The bell rang over the door as she opened it.

"Miss Swan, we are closed or can you not read the sign" Gold sneered at her.

Emma huffed, "Listen Gold, I just want to know if there is any place in Storybrooke, besides Granny's, where Killian might be renting while he is here?"

Gold laughed mirthlessly, "Why on earth would I rent to that man? Is it not enough that my grandson insisted that I return his hand? My charity only extends so far dearie."

"Wait, what? Did you ask Killian if he wanted his hand back?" Suddenly the apprehension she had seen on Killian's face made more sense to her.

"I did as my grandson bade Miss Swan. Now if you'll excuse me, I must be going. Musn't keep my wife waiting for me" he said a little too proudly for her taste as he ushered Emma out and closed the door behind them. As Emma turned to leave, he added "If you must know, I have heard a rumor that Hook was seen trying to cut off that hand at the docks."

Emma's heart nearly stopped and she went white as a sheet. Gold continued, a devious smile spreading across his face. "It won't work though, Henry made me enchant it to the point that it can never be removed again." and with that he walked away and got in his car leaving Emma standing alone feeling worse than ever.

Emma felt a tremendous amount of guilt and dismay as she made her way to the docks. Why had she taken two days to notice him gone? The man had been at her side constantly and yet she had not let his absence worry her. Everything in his world had changed. God, the adorable idiot had even changed his clothes for her and yet she still was keeping him out just like she had with her parents until recently. He didn't deserve this and she had to stop letting her walls dictate her life.

Emma started calling his name as she searched the docks, frantically looking for any sign of him. She did not see him anywhere. She would have almost missed him if she had not heard a groan coming from the right and beneath her. She looked down to see a table littered with his flask, cutlass and bandages. Then she saw Killian, lying on the bench with his jacket thrown over his chest. His left hand was bloodied at the knuckles. But what made her gasp, worried at the sight before her was the fact that his hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat and he was shivering uncontrollably.

Emma knelt down beside him, "Killian? Killian can you hear me?"

Killian opened his blue eyes and she could see that he was dazed. He smiled a little before a cough wracked his body. When he was able to speak again he saw the sunlight behind Emma and said, "Swan, you look like an angel."

Emma rolled her eyes as she felt his forehead. He was burning up with fever and his teeth began chattering. "Can you walk?" She asked as she helped him sit up.

"Aye" he replied, shakily getting to his feet before he swayed and sat back down. "Well, perhaps not." he stated weakly.

"Hold on." Emma said and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She dialed David's number and sighed in relief when he picked up. "Dad, it's Killian and I need your help. Can you come meet me at the docks with your truck?" Emma listened with relief as her father agreed to meet her in a few minutes and hung up the phone.

She sat down next to Killian who was still swaying a little unsteadily. She reached her arm around him and pulled him over so that he could lay his head on her shoulder. He started to protest but she just shushed him and waited for her father. After about 5 minutes, she heard David calling for her.

"Over here!" she yelled and it worried her that Killian barely moved a muscle when she spoke. David rushed over and stopped short at the sight of the pirate leaning against his daughter. He was just about to speak when Emma cut him off.

"Something is wrong, he is really sick. We need to get him to a hospital but he is too weak to walk by himself. Can you please help me get him in the truck?" She asked, trying not to sound as desperate as she felt for him.

David nodded, concern for his friend written all over his face. He sighed heavily and reached down to put Killian's arm around his shoulder. "C'mon pirate, let's get you to the hospital." he said not unkindly.

Killian managed a quiet, "Thanks, mate." and then the three of them went down the dock to the waiting truck. Emma did not think they could get him in the cab, so she and David helped him into the back of the truck then Emma climbed in beside him. Gently, she put Killian's head in her lap and after giving him the signal that they were ready, David drove towards the hospital.

Killian groaned each time the truck hit a bump in the road and Emma felt like each of those bumps hurt her as well. She couldn't help but think that her brave, strong pirate was somehow in this condition because of her and her inability to look outside of her own needs. She should have been more aware.

Finally they reached the hospital and David ran inside to get help. He came back out with Whale and a nurse who helped Emma and David get Killian on a gurney. They wheeled Killian inside the ER and Whale started his examination while the nurse started taking vitals.

"What happened?" Whale inquired frowning at the condition of his patient.

Emma shook her head, "I don't know, I just found him like this. He was sleeping on a bench down by the docks."

Just then Killian coughed harshly again and Whale listened with his stethoscope. He gave some orders to the nurse then turned back to Killian. "Hook, can you tell me when this started?"

"His name is Killian" Emma stated, feeling a hint of irritation that no one wanted to look past his moniker and see the man he really was.

Killian spoke around a jagged breath, "It's ok, love. I've been called worse." And she smiled at his feeble attempt to humor her. Adorable idiot. " It started yesterday I think. My bloody chest started hurting like I was having my heart ripped out and I felt sick. I thought it was the rum. It was a bit chilly the night before but nothing I couldn't handle. It's…" he was unable to finish as another cough wracked his body.

Without thinking, Emma grabbed his hand and squeezed it while he coughed. She could still feel how clammy his skin was and it made her heart ache for him.

Whale looked at the chart the nurse gave him and then back at Emma and David, "Well I will need to get an x-ray and some blood work done but I believe that he has pneumonia and since he has not spent much time in this land, his body is finding it difficult to fight it off. We will need to put him on antibiotics then he can go home to get rest as soon as the tests are confirmed. Let me go order them now and in the meantime, Nurse Chapel, give him something for pain."

After Whale left the room David told Emma he would go find them some coffee, leaving Emma to watch over Killian. The nurse popped back in and gave him a shot of pain killer. Though his coughing did not seem to get better, the shot did seem to ease the ache of it.

"Thank you for the help, love." Killian said to her as she sighed and sat down in a chair next to the bed. She looked at him long and hard till he finally croaked out.

"What is it, Swan? Is there something else you aren't telling me?"

"Killian, how long have you been sleeping out there?" Emma's voice was quiet as she tried to reign in her emotions.

Killian reached up to scratch behind his ear. He suddenly decided that looking anywhere but at her was better than seeing her this upset over him. He hated to think he had caused her any concern. "Since we came back." he said quietly, hoping that would ease the reaction he was about to hear. He was wrong.

"WHAT?!" Emma shouted and then lowered her voice, "Why? Why didn't you say something?"

"I can take care of myself Emma" he replied just before another round of hard coughing hit him.

Emma rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Clearly!"

His coughing fit stopped and he looked at her, "I told you I would not trick you Emma. I will not have you because you pity me. It has been warm enough with my coat. It only recently became a little cold."

"A little cold!" She interrupted him in the middle of his poor excuses. "It has been freezing out! And you don't have your coat, at least not your normally heavy and warm one. What were you thinking? And Gold said you were trying to cut off your hand. Do you have a death wish?"

Killian sat silent for a moment, ashamed that she had learned about the hand thing, from the Crocodile no less. In his drunken stupor he had thought that if he went back to the way he was, he could forget all the heartbreak of their date gone wrong. It had been pointless as the thing was definitely not going anywhere.

"I wanted to stay in Storybrooke but no one would lend accommodations to me. I promised you I would not commandeer any more vessels so the bench was the only place that would have me. You were so eager to run off and help the knave and did not want my assistance and I assume you wanted to avoid the subject of my reattached appendage. I fear that the change in my clothing and my physical appearance led you to re-evaluate your feelings for me." She opened her mouth to tell him what she really felt but he held up his hand to indicate that he was not done talking while he was overcome with more coughing.

When it had subsided, he resumed, "I apologize if I have distressed you m'lady but I was attempting to return to the man I was in hopes of regaining your affection."

She held tightly onto his hand. "I don't care if you have one hand or two or if you wear modern clothes or your pirate attire. But I have to say though, the modern clothes do look quite nice on you." She smiled at his raised eyebrow and small smile. He knew he was devilishly handsome in anything and she had just given his already inflated ego another boost but right now she didn't care. He was safe and with her, that is what mattered most.

"I am sorry that our date ended badly. Maybe we could try it again?"

Killian grinned at her, "Aye, I would like that."

Just then the nurse came in and told them that she was taking him for the ordered x-ray. Emma waited and David brought in coffee. When Killian returned he dozed lightly from the pain meds while Emma and David chatted in low tones. After a while, Whale came back in with his final diagnosis.

"It is confirmed that he has pneumonia. It should start clearing up in a couple of days once he starts taking the antibiotics. You can give him acetaminophen for the fever. It should also help with the pain from the cough. He will need to rest and get lots of fluids and stay out of the cold. You can take him home now if you would like as I think he will do better there than in here." Whale said.

"Thanks Whale" Emma said and turned to shake Killian's shoulder "Killian, you can go home now."

Killian roused himself from his nap and looked at her. She did not miss the brief look of hurt in his eyes when she had said the word home. She silently chastised herself for her poor wording choice and then looked at David. She was silently communicating with her father and David started to shake his head but Emma cut him off, "You can come home with us."

"I'm not sure that is wise love" Killian started to protest but Emma would have none of it.

"You are coming with us whether you like it or not." Emma said and he smiled gratefully up at her.

"Thank you love, but before we go. I have one request."

"Anything" she said without thinking and realized she had just given him a huge opportunity to take advantage of her and he was a pirate after all. "Well... almost anything." she amended and he gave her a smirk knowing exactly what she was thinking.

"Might I have some of that Jell-O I had last time I was here. It turned out to be quite delicious."

"Seriously?"

David just laughed.


End file.
